Piece by Piece
by happy45
Summary: Piece by piece Aaron Shore was putting Emily Rhodes back together, and the pain of her past felt like a distant memory. /ONE-SHOT/Based on 2x06/


**Hi everyone! This is a little one shot based on 2x06 and Kelly Clarkson's song 'Piece by Piece,' which is a really beautiful song, so go listen if you haven't already!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

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 **Piece by Piece**

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 _All I remember was your back  
Walking towards the airport leaving us all in your past_

**1992**

Emily sat on the sofa of her living room with her teddy bear in her hand. Things had been quiet around the house today, which was unusual. She was often kept up at night by her parents screaming at each other and when they weren't screaming at each other, they had downtrodden looks on their faces, like they were just exhausted and completely broken.

Emily's mom was good at putting a brave front on her for her daughter. Her marriage was in tatters. Everything was falling apart around her, yet by what she had put down to divine intervention, somewhere inside she could always find a smile for her little girl.

Emily looked into the kitchen from her seated position and saw her mother cutting some vegetables for their dinner. She was sniffling, and she could see her eyes were puffy and red. The sound of the knife hitting the chopping board echoed around the house. Emily knew something was wrong, but she couldn't work out what.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw her father at the bottom of them with his coat on and bag in hand. She watched as he took out his keys, removed one from the chain and set it on the table in the hallway. He looked down at his feet and took a deep breath. He then lifted his bag, opened the door, and after only a split second of hesitation, he walked out.

Emily didn't understand what was happening in that moment, but she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She stared at the door for a few minutes, just hoping that he would walk through it again, but he didn't. She heard his car turn on and she heard him drive away.

Emily walked into the kitchen and saw her mother wipe her eyes.

"Mom?" she asked softly, clutching her teddy close to her chest.

"Yeah baby?" her mother replied, continuing to cut the vegetables.

"Where's dad going?" Emily asked as her mother stopped. Emily knew in that moment she wasn't supposed to see her dad walk out that door.

"He uh… he's going to the airport sweetie." Her mother told her.

"Is he going on holiday? Why didn't he take us with him?" Emily asked.

Emily's mother finally turned to face her daughter, as she bent down to her height. She was 6 years old, how was she supposed to explain this to her?

"Emily…" she began as she ran her hands up her daughter's arms. "Your dad is going to the airport and… he's not coming back."

"Why?" Emily asked in a whisper.

"He doesn't want you living in a sad house honey. He didn't want either of us to be sad anymore, so he decided to go away." Her mother tried to explain.

"… when will I see him again?"

Emily's mother fought back her tears as she looked at her little girl. She was never going to understanding this until she was older. She didn't know if there was anything she could say to make it better.

"I don't know honey… but we're going to be ok. I promise." She said as she pulled her little girl in for a hug and squeezed her tight.

Emily was hardened in that moment. A moment she knew she shouldn't have been having as a mere 6-year-old. She realised that her mother was struggling to be strong, so she had to be strong enough for them both.

 _I travelled 1500 miles to see you  
I begged you to want me  
You didn't want to_

**2007**

Emily stood in front of a large oak door, willing herself to knock on it. She'd travelled 1500 miles to find him. A part of her didn't really understand why. She'd just graduated college and she'd gotten herself a job working for a Senator on the hill. She'd used her pain and turned it into drive and strength and she'd gotten where she wanted to go. Yet, as soon as she threw that graduation cap in the air, she felt an ache in her heart. An ache for her father. Someone she hadn't seen in in 15 years.

Maybe she was just curious. She was curious about his life. What he did, what he was like, did he have another family? She never wanted to bring it up with her mother, but somehow her mother knew she had questions. Maybe she just assumed, but either way, Emily was sitting at the desk in her bedroom one night and her mother came in and slipped a piece of paper across the table with an address on it.

"Go" she said, "get your answers"

Emily merely nodded at her, and a week later, she was standing at this address, trying to pluck up the courage to see him again. She lifted her hand to knock on the door, but it flung open to reveal him standing on the other side.

Emily stood there, stunned. She finally plucked up the courage and all words left her head.

He stared at her before saying; "Can I help you?"

He didn't recognise her. I mean it had been 15 years, but surely, he would recognise his own daughter?

"You don't recognise me" Emily said in a barely audible whisper. She took a step back and looked at the house, then to the fancy car in the drive way, then she looked passed her father and into his house. "You've made a good life for yourself. I hope what you lost was worth it all." She said before turning and walking down the path.

"Emily?" He called after her, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

Emily took a deep breath; "Honestly? I don't know. I guess I just wanted to see you. See the life you had made for yourself without me… maybe try and understand why you didn't want me and see if… you could ever want me again." She said quietly.

He nodded slowly. Still in shock that his daughter was in front of him.

"I uh… I'm sorry I just never expected you to come here… it's not the best time" he replied as Emily looked down at her feet.

She nodded as she folded her arms and looked up. She saw a woman appear behind him and ask him what was going on.

"I shouldn't have come" she said in a whisper as she turned and quickly walked to her car, speeding off, hoping to never see him again.

Emily was hardened further in that moment. She was hardened in a way she never thought possible.

 _Piece by piece  
He collected me up off the ground where you abandoned things  
Piece by piece he filled the hole that you burned in me at 6 years old_

**2009**

Emily rushed through the Capitol with stacks of papers in her hands. She had been run off her feet today by Senator Josephs as he worked to pass critical legislation. In hindsight, she knew running through the corridors of the Capitol with stacks of papers in her hands, and texting, was a bad idea, but at the same time, if she hadn't done it, she wouldn't have met _him_.

As she turned the corner she bashed straight into a tall, broad figure and the papers went flying everywhere.

"Watch it!" she exclaimed as she groaned and bent down to pick up the papers.

"Hey, I wasn't the one running around a corner while texting" he replied as he bent down to pick up the papers. "So maybe you should look where you're going next time…" he mumbled.

"Look mister—" she began as she looked up and locked eyes with the stranger in front of her.

 _Spark._

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Emily turned away, trying to regain her train of thought.

"Today really is not the day you want to piss me off." Emily said as she stood up and took the rest of the papers from him.

"Something tells me that you're not the sort of person you want to piss off any day of the week." He said with a lopsided smirk as he placed his hands casually in his pockets.

Emily scoffed and smirked back; "Something tells me that smirk of yours gets you out of pissing people any day of the week."

He shrugged; "every little helps."

Emily shook her head and looked at her feet before walking past him.

"Hey, I never got your name?" he called after her as she turned and looked at him.

"That's cause I never gave it." She replied with a similar lopsided smirk. "Watch where you're walking next time" she finished before rounding another corner, out of sight.

The next time she saw him was at a state dinner in the White House that Senator Josephs had insisted she come to. It was the first time she had dressed up in a while and she would be lying if she said she didn't feel good.

She was guessing that he thought she looked good too, because he had been staring holes into her all night. She was trying to avoid his gaze, but she found herself staring too. He really knew how to pull off a tux.

She had managed to avoid him all evening, right until it was time to leave. As she walked towards the door, she ran straight into him again as he came out of the cloak room.

"We have got to stop meeting like this" he said with his now infamous smirk.

"You clearly haven't learned to look where you're going." She replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Or maybe, I ran into you deliberately" he said taking a step closer to her as Emily felt her breath clench in her throat.

He was a stranger, but there was something about him that was completely drawing her in.

"Aaron Shore" he said holding out a hand as Emily took a few moments before shaking it.

"Emily Rhodes"

"Finally, a name. I've been trying to work out who you are for a week now and normally, I'm quite good at opposition research." Aaron stated.

"Who says I'm opposition?"

"You work for Senator Josephs, right? He's a republican and I am a card holding democrat." He explained.

"I see… well, now you have a name, so you can do your research. It's not stalker like at all, by the way." She joked as he chuckled.

"It comes in handy sometimes." He replied. "There is another way I could do my research" he said as Emily cocked any eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah… you could let me take you out for dinner."

Emily chuckled as she looked at her feet. "Smooth. How many girls have you used that one on?"

"Just you." He replied sincerely. "I never really thought Washington was a place to date but uh… there's something about you Emily Rhodes… I have to know more." He said with a soft smile which Emily was surprised to see.

He had come towards her with an arrogant demeanour, and now he was showing a softer, more vulnerable side.

"I uh… I don't really trust men in general, so I always promised myself I would never date a politician. Arguably, the most untrustworthy people out there." Emily responded.

"You just have to find the right one." He replied. "And… that's not me cause I'm not a politician. I'm a special adviser to Senator Richmond." He explained.

"Wow, big leagues. You think he'll make it to the White House?" Emily asked.

"How about I answer that over that dinner you owe me?"

"Oh, I owe you dinner now?" Emily said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, for accusing me of being an untrustworthy politician." Aaron said with a smile. "You can tell me why you don't trust men… and then maybe I can fix that."

"I'm not sure anyone is ever going to be able to fix that one for me." Emily said quietly.

"I'm a firm believer that there is a person out there for everyone and they may not always get things right, they may not always fix things… but they always find a way to make things that little bit better. No matter how damaged the other person thinks they are."

Emily nodded. She struggled with the concept of having a person. They only person she had ever been able to truly rely on was her mom. The way she had hardened over the years had made her believe she would never be able to open herself up enough to let someone love her and make things better no matter what. She didn't think that kind of love was possible.

Somehow, she found herself agreeing to a date. Then another. Then another.

Somehow, she found herself agreeing to be his girlfriend.

Somehow, just somehow, he was putting the pieces of her life back together, without her even realising it.

 _He never walks away  
He takes care of me  
He loves me_

 _**2012**_

They had been dating for three years when Richmond was elected President. He made Aaron his deputy chief of staff, and Emily had scored a job as the chief of staff to the new HUD secretary, Tom Kirkman.

They were on the fast track to great things in their jobs, so much so, that it took over their lives, and Emily decided it was probably just best to let it happen.

She loved Aaron, though she struggled to tell him that, for fear of letting herself be too vulnerable. Her friends told her she was in the most dysfunctional relationship, but she never listened to them, because it was just easier that way.

She often wondered why Aaron stuck around. He knew that her father wasn't in her life and hadn't been for a long time, but she didn't like to talk about it, so he never brought it up.

She never really gave him the attention he deserved. She refused to move in with him just in case things headed south, yet majority of her belongings stayed at his apartment. You wouldn't have been able to guess they were a couple if you saw them out in public. They never held hands, they barely even touched—except that one time, Aaron wrapped his arm around Emily's waist to lead her through a large group of people. When she felt his arm on her waist, she jumped as if being hit by a bolt of electricity. People affectionately touching her like that wasn't something she was used to.

Emily's mom loved Aaron. She thought he was everything Emily's father couldn't be. He was kind, committed, and most importantly, he adored her daughter. Even with her mother's approval, Emily remained reserved. She never allowed herself to get excited or giddy about Aaron Shore. She always found something about him to complain to her mother about.

 _He never puts his boxers in the hamper._

 _He always makes me breakfast even though I hate breakfast._

 _He's so damn stubborn. When we were driving to New York a while back, we got lost and he refused to ask for directions or use a GPS._

"He's stubborn?" Her mother would reply; "Well then you two are a match made in heaven."

Emily always scrunched up her nose when her mother said this. _She was not stubborn_. At least not as stubborn as he was… right?

Things all hit a head at Christmas of that year. Emily was completely bogged down with work and Aaron had been pestering her all day with messages to come home early. She had been ignoring every one of them, but in hindsight, she could have been better off just replying, because he turned up at her office door at midnight.

"Just go, Aaron, I have too much to do." Emily said with an exacerbated tone after he pleaded with her to put the files down. "You shouldn't want to stick around anyway, it's not worth it" she mumbled afterwards.

Aaron remained silent for a moment. Emily gulped as they both realised she was talking about a whole lot more than a night together.

"You shouldn't want to stick around anyway, _I'm_ not worth it." Was what she had meant to say.

"Emily." Aaron said in a bid to turn her attention to him, but she didn't turn around. _"Emily."_ He said more firmly as he turned her around himself. "Stop this. Please… _I'm not him_."

Emily gulped as Aaron stared right through her. She took a step back to create an emotional and physical distance between them. But Aaron refused to let her push him away.

"I know you don't trust people easily. I know your dad let you down. But _I love you_ …"

"How can you love me? All I've done to you over the past three years is push and push. How can I be enough for you?" Emily said as her eyes brimmed with tears.

"You are enough. You are more than enough. When I look at you, I don't see this damaged girl that you think you are. I see someone full of light and love for the people closest to her. I see someone who is smart and beautiful and bold and brave, and I have spent the last three years trying to make you see that." Aaron told her as Emily remained in a stunned silence. She never thought someone could care so much about her to say something like that.

"I want you to feel loved because you deserve to be loved. I know you think that you give me nothing in return, but you do Em. You make me a lot happier than you realise."

"You want me" Emily mumbled, trying to come to terms with someone actually wanting her.

" _So much_. I struggle to concentrate because you're all I can think about. I know you expect people to just walk away but I will _never_ walk away. Not when we have something special to fight for." Aaron said as he closed to gap that Emily had created between the pair. "I love you Emily Rhodes… and I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving that to you—"

Aaron had barely gotten the word 'you' out before Emily flung her arms around Aaron's neck and held him tightly.

 _He wanted her, and she wanted him too._

He saw beauty when she only saw damaged goods. He pushed past her walls and she only regretted that it had taken her this long to accept it. She wished she could take back the past few months since they started their new jobs, but then maybe they would never have gotten to this moment.

 _Piece by piece  
You restored my faith  
That a man could be kind and a father could stay_

Piece by piece Aaron Shore was putting Emily Rhodes back together and the pain of her past felt like a distant memory.

They were married a few weeks later in a small ceremony with just their closest friends and family. Emily entered it with no reservations, which surprised her after the fact. She always swore she would never get married, but something felt so right about marrying Aaron.

A year after their wedding, they welcomed their daughter into the world. Izzie Shore was the light of her parent's lives. The spitting image of Emily but with Aaron's crazy curly locks.

Emily often remembered the night when they first let Izzie sleep in her own room. She was 3 months old and had always been good at sleeping through the night, but her parents were reluctant to take their eyes off her for even one second.

At around 4am, Emily had rolled over and found her husband's side of the bed empty. She sat up with furrowed eyebrows and decided to get up and investigate. She soon found her husband sitting in the rocking chair of their daughter's nursery, holding Izzie close to him. Emily leant on the doorway and didn't make a sound as watched Aaron with their daughter.

She had never seen him with such wonder and awe in his eyes. It was like he had never seen a baby before. But Emily knew herself that there was nothing like gazing upon your own baby. Aaron looked like he never wanted to take his eyes off hers, as Izzie looked up at him with the same wonder. She already adored her father.

Emily felt a twinge in her heart. She never got the chance to feel that way about her dad, yet Izzie felt that way already. She felt sad, but immediately thankful that Izzie would never experience the pain she did. From a simple stare, Aaron had restored her faith in fathers and knew he would never leave his little girl.

 _And all of your words fall flat  
I made something of myself and now you want to call back  
But your love it isn't free it has to be earned  
Back then I didn't have anything you needed so I was worthless_

 _**2017**_

They had been working in the White House for a year when he got in contact with Emily. It had been ten years since she turned up on his doorstep and was instantly disappointed. Why would he want to make things better now?

She was sceptical. She wanted to believe that he wanted to be a father again, that he wanted to reconnect, but it seemed too good to be true.

Aaron didn't want to discourage her from meeting him and hearing what he had to say, but he also didn't want her to let herself be too vulnerable. She had come too far to let one afternoon with the man who abandoned her knock her down a few steps.

" _I'm not here to make excuses. All I can tell you is that I knew that if your mother wasn't in my life then I couldn't be in your life."_

"You're right, that's not an excuse, that's worse, that's cowardly and pathetic."

" _Do you know what it's like to be a little girl with a birthday, and you run home from school praying that this is the year your dad sends you a card and you check the mail and no, it's not the year… and there never was a year."_

" _Emily, I wanted to reach out to you a thousand times, but I never knew what to say… and now you're here, in front of me. You have one of the most important jobs in the world, you're married, you have a little girl of your own…"_

Izzie. She had prayed Izzie would never know the man sitting in front of her. Cause she never wanted Izzie to be let down by him too. A part of her was bugged that at that moment her father realised she had made a wonderful life for herself, he wanted back in.

She gave him the benefit of the doubt, and invited him back to the White House. He met Aaron, thought he and Emily were a perfect fit, but before he could meet his granddaughter, Emily truly realised what she was worth to him—a cork screw.

 _Piece by piece I fell far from the tree  
I will never leave her like you left me  
And she will never have to wonder her worth  
Because unlike you I'm going to put her first_

"So, when do I get to meet Izzie?" her father asked as she stood with her back to him following his cork screw confession.

"I don't think that's going to happen." Emily said as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.

"Why not? Do we not have time if we want to meet with the president?" he asked eagerly.

"There will be no meeting with the president either." Emily said sternly as he remained silent, clearly sensing she was bothered. "I have never been an optimistic person. I have never been a hopeful person and most of all I have never been a trusting person. Yet… I let you in today. I let you into my work, I let you meet my husband and I became _this close_ to letting you meet my daughter… but you don't deserve that."

"Emily—"

"Is that really all I mean to you? A corkscrew? The joke is probably on me though, I should have known better to think that you would ever put me first." Emily continued as her father looked at his feet.

"They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but I am so happy to admit that I couldn't have fallen further. I look at my daughter every day and I can't understand how anyone could want to walk out on their child. She is my world and unlike you, I'm going to love her with everything that is in me. She will never feel the pain that I felt, she will never question whether she is good enough." Emily said with certainty and confidence.

"You asked me earlier what was left to say… and all that's left to say is goodbye." Emily said with a gulp. "So, goodbye Daniel." Emily said as she walked to the door and held it open for him, as her father left the room, with his head hung low.

 _He'll never walk away  
He'll never break her heart  
He'll take care of things  
He'll love her_

A short while later, Emily left her office with some papers to hand to her deputy. She sighed as she walked down the west wing hallways, ready for this day to be finished. As she ran her hand through her hair, she stopped and turned when she heard some familiar giggles from the other end of the corridor.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Aaron holding the hand of their four-year-old daughter as she switched between humming to herself and talking animatedly to her father, who had an enthused look on his face about everything she told him, even if it didn't make any sense.

Emily fiddled with the necklace around her neck as she smiled softly. The way Aaron looked at Izzie was the way he looked at her. With such deep love and adoration. These women were his world and he would do anything to make sure they knew how special they were.

Emily chuckled as she watched Aaron scoop Izzie up in his arms and give her a bucket load of kisses, as Izzie giggled uncontrollably.

Aaron looked up and smiled brightly when he spotted Emily at the end of the corridor.

"Hey" he greeted as Izzie too looked up and spied her mom.

"Hi momma!" Izzie greeted.

"Hi baby." Emily said as she kissed Izzie who was still in Aaron's arms. "What are you two giggling about?"

"Well, I just told daddy about my new boyfriend!" Izzie announced as Emily's eyes widened in amusement.

"I see… and where did you meet this new boyfriend?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow.

"At playgroup momma, where else?" Izzie said, kinking her eyebrow just like Emily did. "His name is Seb and we're going to get married!" Izzie announced happily. "Though, daddy said I'm not allowed to leave him _just_ yet, I have to wait till I'm at _least_ 40 and that's ok, cause there's no other boy that I love more than I love daddy!" Izzie continued with a nod as Emily chuckled and Aaron smiled proudly.

"Well that's good cause there's no other girl that I love more than my Izzie bear" Aaron said as he and Izzie shared an eskimo kiss.

Aaron set Izzie down on the floor as she turned to her mom and pulled her down to her height; "It's ok momma, daddy and I love you to the moon and back too" Izzie said with a little giggle, before spotting Mike at the end of the corridor, and ran down it to say hello.

"Sometimes I wonder where she got her chattiness from." Emily said with a chuckle as she watched Izzie interact with Mike.

"Agreed… is your dad still here?" Aaron asked.

Emily sighed; "No I sent him away. He didn't want me Aaron… he wanted the White House and I'll be damned if I ever let him damage me again."

Aaron put his hand around Emily's shoulder and pulled her closer to him before kissing the side of her head.

"I'm sorry Em…" he said in a whisper as he rested his forehead against her temple.

"You know, for the first time in my life I can say that… it's ok. I may have missed out on having a father but… you restored my faith in what it means to be a father and a husband and just being _my person_. You've shown me my worth and I don't need anything more than what I have now. Any other love that enters my life will just be a bonus." Emily said sincerely as Aaron smiled softly.

"I love you" he whispered as they began to walk towards their bubbly and beautiful daughter.

 _Piece by piece he restored my faith  
That a man could be kind and father should be great_


End file.
